'I need you in the game': Wisconsin sheriff urges residents to ARM themselves - because there are not enough officers to defend them

A Wisconsin sheriff has stirred controversy this week after releasing a radio ad urging Milwaukee-area residents to learn to handle firearms so they can defend themselves while waiting for police.

In the 30-second commercial, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. says due to law enforcing cutbacks, personal safety is no longer a spectator sport.

‘I need you in the game,’ he says.

Call to arms: Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke released an ad calling on residents to defend themselves because the old model of having a citizen call 911 and wait for help isn't always the best option

‘With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option,’ he adds. ‘You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there.’

The ad has generated sharp criticism from other area officials and anti-violence advocates. The president of the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs' Association, Roy Felber, said it sounds like a call to vigilantism.

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‘That doesn't sound too smart,’ Felber said. ‘People have the right to defend themselves, but they don't have the right to take the law into their own hands.’

The spot aired at least once during the a radio show on WISN-AM on Thursday. Clarke's spokeswoman, Fran McLaughlin, posted it to the department website on Friday. She told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelthat she did not know how much it cost the agency to air it.

Under Wisconsin's ‘castle doctrine,’ someone who uses deadly force against an unlawful intruder to their home, business or vehicle is presumed to have acted reasonably.

Weapons training: The 30-second radio spot urged residents to take a course to learn how to safety handle firearms so that they could defend themselves in an emergency rather than rely on police

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice said that as of this week, there are about 155,000 concealed carry permits in Wisconsin.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarke said he just wants people to know what their options are. While self-defense isn't for everyone, some people see personal safety as their own responsibility, he said, and they should be trained properly.

‘I'm not telling you to “Hey, pick up a gun and blast away,”’ he said. ‘People need to know what they are doing if they chose that method - to defend themselves.’

But he also said he wanted to call on residents to be law enforcement ‘partners.’ He said he could either whine about budget cuts that forced him to lay off 48 deputies last year or he could get creative.

‘People are responsible to play a role in their own safety, with the help of law enforcement,’ Clarke said. ‘I'm here to do my part, but we have fewer and fewer resources. We're not omnipresent, and we have to stop giving people that impression.’

‘After sitting down and thinking about this, I'm thinking “Hey, I've got an untapped reserve over here, and it's the public,”’ Clarke said.

Under fire: Gun control advocates sharply criticized the sheriff's stance, saying that he encourage vigilantism and comparing him to the title character of Dirty Harry

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's office released a statement criticizing the ad: ‘Apparently Sheriff David Clarke is auditioning for the next Dirty Harry movie.’

Barrett was beaten up several years ago by someone with a tire iron, and Clarke said he thought that would make the mayor ‘a lot more sensitive to people being able to defend themselves in such instances. A firearm and a plan of defense would have come in handy for him that day.’

Jeri Bonavia, executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, said Clarke took a dangerous position with his ad. She pointed to the case of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida who fatally shot an unarmed 17-year-old following an altercation.

‘I feel like this is such an irresponsible thing for our chief public safety officer of a county to do,’ Bonavia said. ‘I think he owes this community an apology. And if he really believes that he's not capable of providing for our public safety he should get a different job.’

Clarke's spokeswoman said the announcement does not encourage gun ownership.

Case in point: Clarke's critics invoked the notorious case of Trayvon Martin, left, the unarmed Florida teen who was shot dead by George Zimmerman, right, who claimed self-defense under 'stand your ground' law

‘His message says to consider taking a certified course. His message says to fight back to protect yourself. People need to decide for themselves if they want to own a firearm,’ McLaughlin wrote in an email.

She said the Department of Homeland Security advises that in an active shooter environment, victims should run, hide, or, if those options don't exist, you should fight -- aggressively.

This is not the first time Clarke has found himself in hot water over the issue of gun control. Most recently, the sheriff called for schools to arm teachers after the Newtown, Connecticut massacre.